logo
Op-Ed: Libya's premium real estate, undervalued strategic assets in Central Africa – wasted potential needing leverage beyond oil through a new African partnership vision

Op-Ed: Libya's premium real estate, undervalued strategic assets in Central Africa – wasted potential needing leverage beyond oil through a new African partnership vision

Libya Herald02-05-2025
After spending some time recently in the Central African Republic, I got to see firsthand what the Libyan African Investment Company (LAICO) has built over decades—from hotels to banks, to compounds that could have become regional hubs for cooperation.
LAICO is a subsidiary of Libya's Africa focused sovereign fund, the Libya Africa Investment Portfolio (LAIP). It plays a significant role in Libya's economic presence across Africa.
Instead, many of these assets are neglected or mismanaged by contractors with no real incentive to see these investments serve Libya or the host country.
What is being wasted is not just property. It is potential. Potential for trade, diplomacy, education, and soft power that could connect Libya to Central Africa in a way no oil barrel ever could.
Libya needs a new vision for its African investments
Libya doesn't just need to protect its wealth abroad. It needs to activate it. With a new vision, these abandoned investments could support cross-border tech hubs, regional youth development programs, and strategic trade centers—bringing Libya back to the table as a serious partner in African development.
We talk a lot in Libya about diversification. But it starts with seeing value in what we already have.
It's time we asked: How can Libya transform and leverage its frozen and mismanaged assets into real African partnerships?
.
Mohamed Lateri is Head of Business Development at Makaman Libya Oil Services Inc | Founder @ eGlomo Ltd.
Libya Herald is not responsible for the contents of this op-ed.
Op-Ed: Libya's Missing Link – Why Data is the Key to Reform While Preventing a Public Backlash
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Map reveals Nato's maritime security challenges - from Russia to terrorism
Map reveals Nato's maritime security challenges - from Russia to terrorism

Metro

timea day ago

  • Metro

Map reveals Nato's maritime security challenges - from Russia to terrorism

Details of the most worrying threats to the UK and Europe's security have been revealed. As Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron toured a NATO military base in north-west London on Thursday, they were shown a map of the dangers facing the alliance at sea. These maritime security challenges span four continents, and expose the threats posed from major superpowers all the way to pirates. The revelation came just before Starmer and Macron signed a historic new defence relationship agreeing to co-ordinate nuclear deterrence systems. Here, Metro takes a deep dive into some of these dangers troubling NATO commanders most. The Arctic Circle became the centre of geopolitical tensions after Donald Trump demanded the US take Greenland out of Denmark's hands. The US President made his reasoning clear in a speech to Congress in March: 'We need Greenland for national security and even international security.' The Arctic Five – Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia and the US – all operate in the frosty north, for example by fishing and with oil and gas exploration. While the group used to co-operate, that has now broken down, with Russia even conducting military exercises in the region. Trump's climate scepticisms has also strained relations over the crucial warming ice sheets. However as climate change ramps up temperatures, new opportunities risk further tensions. If the arctic becomes ice-free, that will open up new trade routes through the North Pole – something of particular interest to China. They consider themselves a near-Arctic state and investing more in the region – which also offers valuable deposits critical minerals. As European eyes are on the conflict in Ukraine, Russia and China are expanding their reach in North Africa in ways that threaten NATO. Russia is providing security support to juntas across the mineral-rich Sahel region, just as Senegal and Ivory Coast demand French troops leave their countries. Putin has deepened its ties with the north African state of Libya, where it is negotiating a new naval base at Derna, which could mean Russian warships near to NATO naval activities. China is making similar inroads as the West's power appears to wane. The US downsized and pulled its troops out of Niger last year, just months before China ramped up its military activities in Africa. Xi Jingping held a China-Africa co-operation summit in September 2024, where he promised to train the 6,000 military personnel and invited 500 African officers to visit China. The country also runs an overseas base in Djibouti, giving it a foothold to a chokepoint which controls access to the vital Suez Canal. The sea bed is becoming the new battleground for state sabotage. Crucial undersea cables, which transmit vast swathes of internet and telecommunications, are being cut around Europe – with many blaming Russia and China. More Trending On Boxing Day last year, Finland seized a cargo ship carrying Russian oil, which the authorities suspected had damaged four undersea cables with Estonia and Germany. This is not the first time this has happened. In November 2024, cables linking Sweden to Lithuania and Finland to Germany were damaged. This time, investigators linked the disruption to a Chinese-owned ship, which was accused of dragging its anchor along the seabed to cut the cables, according to the Wall Street Journal. In response to these and a string of other incidents, NATO launched Baltic Sentry, a mission aimed at ramping up the alliance's presence around the cables. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: UK and France agree to 'one in, one out' migrant deal within weeks MORE: Putin continues to ignore Trump by unleashing 10-hour missile onslaught on Kyiv MORE: Labour's welfare reform bill passes Commons despite 47-strong rebellion

Rape suspect caught by Gardaí targeting illegal immigrants crossing Northern Ireland border on bus
Rape suspect caught by Gardaí targeting illegal immigrants crossing Northern Ireland border on bus

ITV News

time2 days ago

  • ITV News

Rape suspect caught by Gardaí targeting illegal immigrants crossing Northern Ireland border on bus

A man at the centre of a rape investigation was among those apprehended by Gardaí targeting illegal immigrants trying to cross the border from Northern Ireland into the Republic by bus. The suspect, from Africa, was immediately sent back across the can also reveal the cross-border crime gang, dubbed The Firm, is under investigation for facilitating the movement of those trying to get into the Republic. Operation Sonnet targets illegal immigrants attempting to cross the Irish border. The team have apprehended almost 450 people trying to make the crossing in only 71 days of action. UTV accompanied officers as they carried out their checks, stopping buses on the main road to Dublin. Before the crew arrived, an African man on police bail accused of a serious sexual offence in Northern Ireland was taken off a bus and sent back where the PSNI will take over."We share real time intelligence when we are on these operations with the Home Office. "We can do background checks on people to make sure that if they are involved in criminality, or there's a deportation order in the UK for them that they can be returned", Aidan Minnock from the Garda National Immigration Bureau said. Gardaí stressed that the majority of those seeking sanctuary are not criminals who pose a threat to the public, but victims of exploitation who pay thousands to ruthless criminal gangs to come here. "Then they owe those crime gangs money and in often instances those debts mount up and results in a trafficking situation where those people are further exploited, " Mr Minnock added. A number of organised crime gangs based in Northern Ireland are currently under investigation and making a significant amount of money trying to get people over the border illegally. UTV understands that includes the group known as The Firm. Immigration numbers in Northern Ireland are rising, but remain low leading some to questions whether border checks are racial profiling or an essential tool in the fight against illegal immigration. Human Rights groups do not believe this is the right way to deal with the Holder from the Committee on the Administration of Justice said: "What police services need to be focusing on, of course, is crime and offending on the basis of reasonable suspicion and intelligence, not on what can be, sometimes just essentially routine immigration controls on a, on a land border that is effectively open. "

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store